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Flame and Fullmetal 300 km/h	By : Niia Category: Fullmetal Alchemist > Yaoi - Male/Male Views: 10280 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Full Metal Alchemist, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 30
- 31
A/N: Forgive me for how long it took to update! But I was so happy to know people actually missed this fic so I promised myself not to abandon it. I would like to thank all my reviewers for reviews and thank you for all the congratulations as well.

THANK YOU!

Now, to make up for not updating sooner, I present you this is an extra long chapter.

Enjoy!

Chapter 31: Wine at Del Mar

Ed checked his watch for the second time within five minutes. He wanted to be shore he was early and not late. After all, Lust had made sure to emphasize that it would kill him to miss the meeting. After that hint, he had been sure to listen to her instructions very carefully. The following evening he had been sure to look good and arrive in time at the location she insisted they meet at. Looking over his shoulder he made sure for the third time within five minutes that he was at the right place and hoped that there was just one restaurant Del Mar in Central.

Ed sighed deeply and took another drag before throwing the cigarette away. So much for quitting. As he blew the smoke out of his lungs he put on the new playlist on his iPod and Linkin Park started playing so loud people that passed him by could hear the music.
Ed hadn�t been in to the band until yesterday when he had been lying awake on his bed and listening to the radio. He had been paying attention to the words and when the song was over he had heard the name of the band. Ed found the CD in Al�s collection downstairs and taken it to his room.

He had not slept at all last night. Instead he had been listening to the Linkin Park CD over and over again until the early hours in the morning. It was strange how he could feel familiar with the lyrics of the songs. It was like the song �Killing Me Softly�, strumming his pain with their fingers, singing his life with their words.

Before he arrived to this entrapment of a date, Ed had only been able to sleep a few hours before he took a long shower and actually went through the effort to groom himself enough to look representative.

A black limousine pulled over in front of the restaurant, fashionably late, and the driver dressed in the finest black suit stepped out of the car and opened the door for the passenger. Ed straightened himself at the sight of a foot covered in a black leather heels, the foot followed by a slender leg and a quick flash of pearly skin before the thigh was covered by a black dress.

Out of the car stepped the dark angel of temptation known to him as Lust, dressed in a stunning black dressed and a white fur coat on her shoulders. Ed was about to say something, a greeting perhaps, when someone asked loudly: �We are there?!�

Ed looked wide eyed at the bold, short and chubby man that stepped out of the limousine after Lust. He was dressed in the formal black suit that all those who served the Ouroboros wore but the jacket was too small for him to button up and the buttons on his dress shirt bulged near the point of popping loose.

The blond racer had been so distracted by Lust�s escort that he had forgotten about his date. She made herself reminded by sensually touching his cheek with a gloved hand. Ed shuddered and instinctively grabbed her hand. Lust looked at him expectantly and Ed knew to bow his head and placed a kiss on the back of her hand. It wasn�t even a kiss, just his lips lightly touching her glove. Her smug amused smile confirmed that she as jerking him around and kept him alert. Ed figured she would be jerking him around for in between meals as well before getting to the point. After all, jerking was a talent among prostitutes, not that he thought she was a common whore. More like a dominatrix who set the rules and took control. When Lust made her way inside but made sure it looked like Ed was leading the way.

�Such a lovely evening, don�t you agree Edward?� Lust started and let Ed take her fur coat.

He had decided to play her game and try to use his charms to win her over and tell him everything unless the exact opposite occurred. Still, since he was groomed and he was probably paying for the dinner, he thought he might have a chance. If only he wasn�t so distracted�
�I thought we would be alone,� Ed said in a hushed voice as the short bald guy caught up with them, moving around on all fours like a gorilla.

�You have reservations?� A waiter at the front asked.

�Yes, for two�or three�?� Ed said.

�For two.� Lust stated. �Gluttony will not be dining with us.�

�For two under the name Elric.� Ed stated and got an approving nod from Lust. He had guessed she would make the reservations under his name. The waiter found the name in the book and escorted them to their table. Ed sighed again and reminded himself why he was going through all this.

It was for Al. Sweet, ignorant, innocent Al who was sitting at home and playing X-box�

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Al moved his hands to straighten his tie but noticed that he didn�t have one on. He wasn�t used to wearing a dress shirt unbuttoned over a t-shirt. Al walked in to the Silver Rose with s hands in his pockets. He had been thinking about going out on the town and remembered Ed telling him about the place. Al would have asked his brother to join him and give Al the chance to ask his brother what on earth Scar could have said to upset Ed so badly. Sadly�or maybe it was a good thing that his brother had looked like he had plans. After watching Ed groom his hair and put on his best clothes, Al was sure it was someone special. Maybe that Speed guy Ed had dated a few weeks earlier�who knew. It was hard for Al to keep track of Ed�s relationships. Always had been.

Al shrugged and looked around. The Silver Rose seemed like a nice place. It even had an old jukebox that played old hits while the people dining and drinking there were mostly young people.

�Alphonse?� A sweet voice asked and Al turned to his left to see a familiar face and the woman waved him over. Walking up to the bar he recognized her better. �Hello stranger,� she said and motioned for him to take a seat at the bar.

�Hello Ms. Rose,� Al smiled. She must have noticed him standing there by himself with the invisible sign pointing at him that said: �Doesn�t know what he is doing here�.

�Oh, you are always so polite�unlike your brother,� Rose snorted and Al instinctively covered his cheek with his hand. Rose looked at him strangely.

Al quickly explained: �When ever a girl says something like that about my brother, and in that kind of tone, I�m often asked to give him a message and I get slapped.�

Rose started laughing and was barely able to pour him a soda with a decorative fruit and straw. She didn�t think he was a man that enjoyed alcohol. She reached Al the drink who was still rambling on. �Seriously, every time!� He said and Rose smiled at him.

�Well, your brother�s an asshole.� Rose sighed and played with an ice cube that was melting on the bar desk. Al sipped on his soda, figuring that she was one of the girls who had fallen for his brother. But Al knew that Ed had found someone special when he came to Central, and Al was sure that someone special wasn�t Rose. Still, he felt sorry for her.

�Umm�Ms. Rose, I don�t know��

�Call me Rose,� she said and set her elbows down on the bar desk. She appreciated that Al didn�t check out her cleavage but had his eyes on her face while he talked to her.

�Okay, Rose. I don�t know what has happened between you and my brother, but I want you to know you are a fine woman who will find yourself a fine gentleman who can appreciate you and tell you how beautiful you are.�

Rose looked skeptically at him. �I bet you have said that to every girl your brother has dumped. He is such a horrible person for putting you up to clean his mess.�

�No, no, no!� Al was quick to defend his brother. �I just said what I thought. Honestly!�

Rose looked at him for the longest time before shrugging and leaned over the bar. Al covered his cheek again but instead of a slap he received a sweet kiss on his other cheek. He touched the spot she had kissed him and felt the moist, pink lip-gloss left on his cheek.

Rose winked at him. �That wasn�t a message for your brother. That was for you being such a sweet guy.�

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"What are you going to order?" Lust asked.

Ed�s face scrunched up as he tried to read the menu. "Something not in Spanish would be great, actually." Ed said as he struggled to read the menu. "Makes me wish I�d paid attention in Spanish class."

Lust looked up at him. "Why doesn�t it surprise me that you were a bad student?"

He gave a look of mock indignation. "I�m offended. I was a good boy," he said.

"I bet," she said believingly. "So, what is going on between you and Roy Mustang?" Lust wanted to know.

Ed looked back down at the unreadable menu. "Nothing."

Lust raised an eyebrow. "Nothing? So you two aren�t�?�

Ed kept his eyes on the menu. "Nope." Lust narrowed her eyes almost suspiciously and Ed�s eyes shifted nervously. "We�he�I...." There were few sentences he could form without adding the words �Scar�, �cop�, �criminal�, �cheater�, �liar�, �boyfriend� and �I-got-screwed-by-Roy-Mustang (in many ways than one)�.

"What can I get for you two this evening?" a voice asked politely. The pair looked up at the waiter who�d interrupted the conversation. Ed almost breathed a sigh of relief and silently thanked the man for bailing him out.

Lust ordered the lobster and a glass of the restaurants finest red wine. She even ordered Russian caviar for appetizers. Of course Ed could afford it, but on any other date the girl would order a salad so she wouldn�t look like a glutton and then be hungry for the rest of the date. But none of his former dates could be compared to Lust. Her profession was to milk men for money and she was good at it.

Since she was ordering a proper meal Ed decided to take the house steak and make that one glass into a bottle of red wine instead. The waiter looked very pleased and took their menus.

Meanwhile, a handsome couple walked inside Del Mar with their arms interlocked. They were guided by a giggly waitress to their table near by the bar that was across the restaurant from Ed.

Roy pulled out a chair by the table and was rewarded with a smile. He took a seat on the other side of the table and looked into a pair of brown eyes. Her lips, shinning with a sensual purple lip-gloss, were still curled in to a mischievous smile.

�Please, I�m trying to eat woman!� Roy mumbled, grabbing the menu and pretended to read it to hide the smile that was forming on his own lips.

�We haven�t even ordered yet!� she laughed, and eyed her own menu briefly. She titled her head slightly, her large golden earrings getting caught in her hazel colored locks. She lazily untangled her jewelry from her hair and Roy�s black eyes followed every movement of her wrist and fingers.

Even though he put on a blank expression, he was doing his best to hide a smile and was secretly overjoyed to see her again. Only she could make his heart grow warm like it did when he watched her sitting there in front of him.

**************************************************************************

Al sipped on his soda, sitting at the bar desk all alone, wondering how his exams would turn out and counting all the chapters in his text books he had to memorize.

Suddenly a tray was slammed down next to him and Rose walked around to her side of the desk after making her round in the restaurant.

�Where were we?�

�I was up to three nuts.�

�Oh, you think you�re such hot stuff huh?� she chuckled. �It�s just beginners luck.�
Rose had taught him how to play jacks with nuts, and soon he had gotten the hang of it. It wasn�t as exiting or addictive as his X-box, but it was fun and took him years back to the playground.

�Okay, I�m up. Twosies!� She bounced the ball and quickly snatched two nuts off the bar desk and caught the ball before it bounced again. She raised and lowered her eyebrows and popped a nut in her mouth.

�That was good,� Al said nodding his head and sipped at his soda. �What do you call four?�

�Foursies,� she smiled and tossed over the rubber ball.

�Foursies,� Al repeated and bounced the ball. He was just about to snatch the fourth nut when the ball fell down on his hand and he dropped all of his nuts. The rubber ball almost fell to the floor but Al had quick reflexes and dived for the ball, one hand grasping the rim of the bar desk, his chair wobbling dangerously. Rose yelped and grasped his wrist and arm with both her hands and pulled him upright.

They both started laughing. �I think foursies is too much for you,� Rose said in attempt to comfort (and tease) him. Al raised his brows. �Oh?� He said. �You think you�re hot stuff?�

�Damn right I am,� Rose said proudly. �I own this game; I�m the queen of nut-jacks! I could snatch foursies with my eyes closed.�

�Really;� Al said feigning astonishment. �Well then, I�ll give you foursies!� He snatched a few nuts and tossed one at her. Rose shrieked and combed through her hair for the nut. She looked at him wide-eyed.

�You didn�t!� She gasped. Al raised and lowered his brows in the same way she had done and she grasped a handful of nuts and tossed them at him. And so nut war was invented.

********************************************************************************

By the time they had made it through the appetizers, the two of them had already consumed a bottle of overpriced wine and ordered another.

Ed�s plan was backfiring on him just like he had feared. Every time he tried to make a move � complement her dress, ask her about her day, try to say something smart about a movie or famous artist - he made an as out of himself since D&G didn�t stand for �Dior and Gucci�, he didn�t rally want to hear about her day in detail because he remembered her profession, and she was probably not in to R&B or rap.

Instead, she had succeeded on seducing him to the point he had all but forgotten about Roy Mustang and all the other women in the world. She was sophisticated, elegant and with her pearly white skin she reminded him of the perfection of a Greek statue. Screw Mona Lisa, Lust was the new Madonna slash Femme Fatale with a sensual smile that could kill.

And talking about what would kill him�

�Why are we here?� Ed finally asked. �It sounded kind of important that I should come here.�

�Well, for one, the house specials are the best in Central, the quality worth the charge, and the live band is really good.� She sipped on her glass and licked the tiny drops of wine that was left on her lips.

�I hoped you didn�t bring me here to screw around with me.� Ed wanted to slap himself afterwards. What a great choice of words!

�I have no intention of such,� she said, and Ed had to admit, something in his male body sunk when she did. �And I don�t expect you to act like the men I normally dine with. Their arrogant attitude and need to compensate with cars and boats doesn�t impress me at all.� She seemed serious. Ed couldn�t help but wonder what she thought of him, the guy with a race car for each day of the week.

�Then what do I have to do to impress you? Do I need to get up on the table, strip and do a dirty lap dance?� Ed asked, and he was serious. Or maybe it was just the fancy wine talking�

Lust chuckled but it turned in to a light laughter. Before they knew it, they were exchanging �looks� and a bystander could have misjudged the situation. A part of Ed�s attention was on Lust, more precisely on her chest that was rising and falling in rhythm with her light laugher. But she soon gathered herself and gave him the �you-wouldn�t� look, soon followed by eyebrows quirking to say ��would you?�

Ed just loosened the top button on his dress shirt, but didn�t go further. He wasn�t THAT drunk! But he was cocky enough to be sure he had spotted a hint of disappointment in Lust�s dark eyes. Ed didn�t need to look around to know that most of the men at the restaurant � even married men with their spouses, guy�s on dates, the waiter, the guy who sat at the next table and almost chocked on his pasta when Ed suggested stripping � wondered what he was doing with a fine woman like her, or wondered if they had seen him in an edition of �Young Millionaire�s Life � Money and Women�.

Lust was a first class prostitute; he had to remind himself as he sipped on his fourth glass of expensive wine. Even though his bastard father had left him and his brother and mother enough money to by the town of Risembool before he took off, Ed was still sitting on a couch in his boxers and sipping beer when Lust was drinking champagne with diamonds in the glass. He could only imagine what a lap dance by her would look like. Diamond lingerie, perhaps? He didn�t even have the fanciest tux and tie that night, but at least he had clean underwear.

�Focus, Ed!� His head told him. �Seduce and concur, that was the plan! Slither your way in to the middle of this snake-circle business without getting a bullet between your eyes.�
Or worse�

Ed remembered how Greed had once off-hand mentioned that Lust was like a black widow, she seduced, mated, sucked the life (or was it money?) out of the man. So Ed had to ask himself: Should he try the old get the villains' lead woman in to bed, seduce her and with an arm around her waist topple the King and take the woman, money and glory?

What Ed didn�t know was that Lust had been watching him the entire time, and when their eyes met, her smug smile told him she could just as well have read his thoughts, and his face grew red. Damn her, she was always one step ahead of him�

********************************************************************************

�So, how�s Aquroya this time of year?� Roy gave the waitress the menu after the couple had ordered.

�Wet,� the woman sitting opposite him answered and gave the menu to the waitress as well.

�No shit.� Roy snorted. �You see, I thought that a city surrounded by water would be dry with all the heat waves we�ve been having lately,� Roy said sarcastically.

�Didn�t you used to go out with her?� The woman asked, watching as the waitress served a table close by.

Roy shrugged. �You should ask me who I haven�t slept with. It�s easier to keep a list with few names rather than Central�s white pages.� A proud smirk curled on his lips and he looked so damn smug she wanted to slap him.

�Oh, I know about the notches in your bedpost,� she sighed. �I know too well.�

�What ever Ariel,� Roy waved his hand as if the number of women he had slept with was irrelevant. He decided to change the topic. �I�m surprised you haven�t grown fins yet, or do you just wear the costume accessories and eat seaweed for fun?�

She rolled her eyes at him and stopped playing with her jewelry. According to Roy Mustang, salad was not food and pearls were not gemstones. But the golden seashell necklace was special to her, because �It was a gift from you. Remember? You got it for my birthday.�

Roy sighed and leaned back in his chair, nodding. �It looks good on you.�

�You said the exact thing when you gave it to me,� she said, smiling as warmly as always. She reached for his hand over the table and he took her in his own. �I�m glad to be home, and to see you again. I missed you so much, Flame.�

�Welcome home, Noah.�

********************************************************************************

He wasn�t even half way through the main course, and Ed was already starting to lose his appetite as he listened to the endless chanting: �Lust, can I eat it? Eat that? Lust, I�m hungry! Can I eat that?�

The blond put down his fork and slowly chewed on the small piece of steak while he watched the short chubby bald guy bounced with his tongue hanging out of his drooling mouth. Suddenly swallowing that small piece of steak seemed impossible. Part of it was because of nausea, the other part guilty when looking at the starving gorilla that was begging n his haunches for a banana.

�Gluttony hungry!� The thing�man�wailed. Finally Lust put down her own tools and slowly wiped her full mouth without rubbing off any of the deep red lipstick. With a sensual small hand gesture she waved over the waiter. He was at their table so fast Ed knew he had to have been standing close by and watching them (or more precisely her) the entire time.

�How can I serve you, madam?� He said with a humble half-bow.

�Would you escort Gluttony here to the kitchen and make sure he is well taken care of? Add his meals to our bill.� Lust instructed the man and took a sip of her wine with another sensual hand-movement. Both Ed and the waiter quirked brows, exchanged looks and then the waiter cleared his throat and said in his most professional tone: �This way, sir.�

Now, Ed wasn�t sure if he should have been confused about the fact that he was paying or that she had said �meals� as in more than one. Well, the guy did seem to be hungry and looked well-fed. The bald gorilla actually reminded him of Teacher�s late dog. He was a very fat and equally mean dog. Sadly he had been overrun by a car. It had left a horrible dent. Ed wondered why he was thinking about the old fat dog. Probably the wine. He was already enjoying his fourth glass. He couldn�t help himself and asked:�Is your friend stupid or something?�, while refilling his glass.

Ed didn�t even need to catch a glimpse of the look she gave him to realize he had spoken before he thought. Right then biting his tongue off and serving it ala something seemed appropriate, but instead he mumbled an apology. Strangely she didn�t seem offended, but Ed knew he had hit a soar spot. She didn�t resume eating; instead she sighed and adjusted her long black gloves before she tossed her thick black hair over her shoulder, her shoulders bare and the tattoo on her chest in plain view.

�You have misjudged us,� she started and Ed knew they were talking about what that tattoo represented. �Or at least a part of it.� She leaned over and looked at him. �Didn�t your father tell you anything?�

�He didn�t exactly stick around,� Ed snorted.

Then a thought hit him. Looking at Lust, he couldn�t blame any man for cheating on his wife or girlfriend with Lust inside his mind and his wildest fantasies. But there was one exception�one man he could never forgive. That was why he asked: �Why did he leave?�

�Why do you think I know the answer to that?�

Ed gave her a meaningful look, and once again she was able to read him perfectly.

�I see.� She didn�t look offended, but although she seemed incapable to express any other feelings than amusement and boredom on her lovely face, she had this expression he couldn�t make out. �We were close, me and your father,� she started. �But I only met him briefly after he came back from Risembool.� Ed was a little relieved that she hadn�t been the reason his mother had suffered. It made it hard for him to believe her when she said: �He loved his family. He showed me pictures of you and your brother.� Lust sighed and looked at Ed. �Had great plans for you, Edward. That�s why I�m here.�

Now she had his undivided attention.

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�I can�t believe it�s really been so long�� Noah sighed when the waitress retrieved their empty plates. The giggly girl blushed furiously when she reached for Roy�s plate. He checked out her arched back and the way the short black dress skirt complimented her behind, and he had a brief recollections of her. But he didn�t bother to try to remember her name. He was too occupied with Noah for the time being.

�So, I hear you have a business of your own now. You always talked about opening a garage, but I never thought you would. It was either that or be the head of the Ouroboros. But I�m glad thing turned out as they did.� She sipped on a glass of white wine that had complimented her salad and fried fish. �But I�m dying to hear how everyone are doing! I only know what Clara has told me, since she visits her parents every once in a while and stops by, and of course I get the occasional call from Rose and Winry.�

�Then you should know most of what has been happening.� Roy knew Rose was the databank when it came to information about him and his racing, and Winry lived to fix cars and gossip.

�Oh, believe me, I know what you have been up to,� Noah smirked at him knowingly. �But what impressed me the most was that you left the Alchemists. What about Speed? Is he still�?�
When Roy didn�t answer, she sighed form the bottom of her heart. The mood had just sunk a few levels. �I had a feeling you two grew apart. I know it can�t be easy to be around things that remind you of the past.�

�Is that why you never called or kept in touch?� He hadn�t gotten as much as a Christmas card from her since she moved. Roy wasn�t the kind to care, and most cards he got ended up in the trash after laying on the floor for days at a time. But he would have appreciated the thought.

Noah gave him an apologetic look. �I hardly keep in touch with my own sister! I came here because I was hoping to convince her to leave Central and move to Aquroya. I didn�t mean to meet up with anyone while I was here.�

�Then why are we here?� Roy asked.

�I was outside The Rose�but I couldn�t go inside. I remembered how much work we put in to the place, and I realized Rose would never leave it. Sure, she could reopen in Aquroya, but it wouldn�t be the same without the guys hanging out there.�

Roy nodded. There would be no place as comfortable as The Rose. It was hard t get a tab where he had as much credit, a jukebox with the good songs or a keeper with such a sugary sweet smile. �She�s doing great, keeping out of trouble�� he thought he�d inform her.

The older version of the Rose sisters smiled. �Of course she is, when she�s got you taking care of her. I never even asked you to do it.�

�You never needed to.� Rose was like a little cousin to him, and he had been watching over the place ever since Rose had become the sole owner of the place favoured by all the people from the racing-scene. But still Noah looked worried.

�Speaking of trouble� hope you haven�t gotten yourself in to anything too serious.� Her brown eyes glaring at him warned him from trying to lie to her. �All you need is a newspaper, radio or TV to know about the hijackings.�

Roy didn�t say anything. He knew she could figure it all out. After all��I was one of you too. I know the Ouroboros doesn�t let go of anyone. They probably even own the land you will be buried in just so you can�t rest in peace.�

�You should know,� Roy thought. �You ran away from it all.� He wasn�t judgmental or anything, even he had to admit she was very brave to do something like resigning with a big fuck you from a mafia. He himself on the other hand couldn�t leave the crew behind.

Apparently, Noah guessed what he was thinking and looked concerned for him. She knew they had a hold on him. �I�ve got it covered,� Roy told her, but she didn�t look all too convinced.

�Is Speed in on it?� She asked. �With his driving skills, he would be perfect for the job.�

It had never even crossed Roy�s mind. Like Noah stated, Speed�s driving skills would have been worth the car�s weight in gold when it came to close calls.

For some reason Roy had just forgotten the �old good times� when he, the Flame, Speed and Noah, the Transporter and the Street Rose, were the first Alchemists, the order of the streets. It hadn�t been long before the trio had drawn to them a whole gang of racers and gangsters, and in the end, established an army under the Ouroboros� banner.

Looking at Noah right then it was nearly impossible to believe what kind of work she had done to pay her bills and pay for her ice, leather (clothes and interior), cars and lip-gloss. Through hard work, she had been able to live a glamourus youth while raising her younger sister and aving up to one day open her own restaurant.

�Roy?�

�Huh?� Roy snapped back to the present, and truthfully, he prefeared the relaxed and smiling Noah sitting there with him over the Noah from fve years ago.

She flashed him another smile. He just couldn�t get enough of them. �I thought I lost you there for a minute.� She reached over the table for his hand and gave it a tug. �You know what? Let�s run away together, you and me, in the car and let�s drive in to the sunset.� She fluttered her lashes romanticly, and seconds later bursted in to laughter over his expression. She had not been serious, or then again: �C�mon Flame, don�t look so shocked! I was only half-serious!�

�Still, I couldn�t possibly��

�Oh?� Noah raised a fine brow. �Don�t you dare lie and try to tell me that you�re not the �running away� kind of type.�

�What do you mean?� He asked frowning. Just because she ran away didn�t mean he would resort to the same when times got rough. She sighed at the way he deliberetly misunderstood her. Roy snorted, but didn�t bother to tell her he didn�t run away from his problems. Maybe because deep inside he knew that was exactly what he was doing: Running away from his relationship with Ed.

�Ah, I can see�.that you have a love interest.� Damn her and her gypsy-heritage. �Tell me about her�or him. And please, don�t be shy on the details.� Damn perverted gypsy-mermaid-woman. Oh, he wouldn�t be shy on the details�

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Between courses, Lust had excused herself to go powder her already flawless skin. She had taken her time to take a look around to be assured that she wasn�t followed. Any other would search a potential threat among those who were a little too interested in her �date� with Fullmetal, but Lust knew the sarch for the oposite; a person or couple narby that didn�t seem to be distracted by her devlish beauty or Ed�s mouth.

When she was sure they were alone, with no witnesses to the crime she was about to commit, Lust knew it was time for her to do what she had set out to do.

The desserts were brought to their table accompanied by a couple of drinks on the house.

She could see through his eyes the many questions that swirled in his head, but Ed was unable to choose one and put it in to words. So instead she took the liberty of giving him the answers straight away. She guessed that, in the end, he had a right to know. His life was, after all, on the line.

�The Ouroboros, as you probably know by now, was founded by your father, Hoheheim Elric, also known as Hoheheim of Light. You see Edward; the one truth in this world is that there will always be crime and evil. People will always find a way to kill each other, always trying to find a temporary high to satisfy them, be it heroin, alcohol, sex or the rush of adrenaline from racing,� she said the last part while looking at Ed significantly. He couldn�t deny that he was contributing in making the world a bad place.

�So what the bastard did was spread the market and make it easier for teens to get drugs and small kids to get guns and shoot a friend over some candy or marbles.�

She could understand his bitterness, but she had thought that he wasn�t so narrowminded and that Ed could have been able to see the bigger picture instead of summarising it like he did.
Lust also noticed that Ed hadn�t yet touched his dessert. She had left her chocolate pudding untouched as well, sipping on her cosmopolitan instead.

She wondered what swirled in the blond racer�s head�.

�How did you meet him?�

Lust hadn�t expected him to be so forward, or that he would try to entrap her. There was really only one answer to that question no matter how she would put it. Nevertheless, he seemed surprised when she said after much thought: �He saved my life.�

For the rest half an hour, Ed sat still and listened quietly as Lust gave him a crash course about the Ouroboros, from its history to politics and ranks. She explained to him that the Ouroboros wasn�t created to spread crime, but to control it and regulate the amount of guns and drugs on the street. An organized operation was always more secured and there were almost no innocent bystanders who got in the middle of it. If someone did get killed, they probably deserved it. Lust knew quite a few people no one would miss, some of them her clients. In fact, when the morning paper published the obituaries and their name would be among the dearly departed, a third of Central�s population would do a happy dance.

As she spoke she could not help her tone of voice that held a hint of pride to be a member even though Lust knew deep in her heart that crime was always wrong. She also believed in the philosofy of Hohenheim, even though, in the end, Ed and Al, two innocent boys, had been dragged in the middle nonetheless.

Lust continued. �The Ouroboros bought the crime-market and the �power� was divided among those who knew the scenes: Politics, the streets, the law-enforcement, the importation of illegal products and prostitution.�

Senator Bradley had a large amount of influence on the senate, Frank Archer, was an officer and military law-enforcement was taking over the city, replacing the PD and trying to get sole jurisdiction. She, Greed and Envy had control over the forbidden fruit served in the underworld.

All the talk about boring organized crime had probably made Ed hungry. He finally gave in to temptation and she watched him dig in to the bomb of calories before his nose. �What has Dante to do with all of it?� He asked between spoonfuls of the richly flavored chocolate dessert.

Lust actually scoffed at the thought of the woman. �When your father disappeared, she took over in his place. Before that she had been handling the finances, but now she likes to believe she�s pulling our strings, sending us out to do her bidding.�

�Such as?� Ed asked intrigued what the puppeteer used her puppets for, especially a puppet as beautiful as Lust, the kind you keep from everyone�s reach.

�Make you join us or kill you,� she confessed simply.

Ed dropped his spoon. He wanted to swallow, but he still had a spoonful of the pudding in his mouth. He had a hard time to believe something that tasted so good could be poisonous; then again, the flavor could have covered up the taste of rat-poison. He feverishly tried to remember who ordered the dessert. Was the reason that the ape-man went to the kitchen so he could poison his food?

Ed felt dizzy and almost cold sweating�was this it? His last meal? He always imagined it to be a king sized burger..!!!

�The food is not poisoned, Edward.�

�Ow cows ouwed sew dad�� Ed mumbled.

�It�s not polite to speak with your mouth full,� Lust reminded him with a very maternal tone and Ed automatically swallowed. Ed waited for death to come�.but it ever did. His stomach felt strange and he was still a little woozy, but that could have been the fancy wine again.

�Is there something wrong with your dessert, sir?� The waiter asked, appearing out of nowhere.

Lust shook her head. �No, it was to die for.� She lightly chuckled at her own joke but realized she kept the waiter waiting, although it was the man�s job. �But since you are here, would you mind bringing us some more of that wine?� She asked, her voice dripping with honey sweet politeness. �And give our compliments to the chef, and while you are back there, please see to it that Gluttony doesn�t enjoy more than one helping of dessert. I�ve been meaning to put him on a diet.�

�Certainly, ma�am,� the waiter said and gave a bow before leaving.

�So what, the poison is in the wine?� Ed asked suspiciously.

�At the sound of it, you have already had enough.�

�Who are you calling so small he will pass out from one beer?!� Ed snapped a little too loudly, turning a few heads in their direction. When the waiter poured them the last glass of wine they would be enjoying that evening, Ed sipped on it to calm down after is near-death experience.

Lust had been right about Ed having had to much to drink. Soon he started blabbering: �So, the monkey in the human suit, what�s his story?�

�My dear Gluttony?� Lust ran her fingers up and down the foot of her nearly empty glass, the glass curved like a woman�s body. �He�s�special.�
Gluttony�s mother had been on drugs her entire pregnancy so she could stand the constant beatings she received from her clients and pimps. She had been Lust�s friend back when Lust was no better, working the streets from midday until the early hours. Gluttony�s mother died soon after Gluttony was born, and Lust took the disabled child under her black wings. Every day Lust counted herself lucky that she had not shared her friend�s fate. She would probably been one of those girls who disappeared after a long and cruel life of servitude hadn�t Ed�s father come along and changed the system.

"So," Lust diverted. "Race Wars is coming up soon. Are you ready, Fullmetal?"

Ed honestly didn�t mind changing the subject and shrugged. "Yeah, from what I hear at the garage, the Wars equal the most important event of the year."

Ed was surprised he could cover up his excitement so well. The Race Wars were practically legendary! Central was like ancient Rome, the race scene the great arena and the racers the gladiators. On those streets legends were born and the stories written in burnt rubber. Even Roy Mustang had been a �no-body� until he raced in the Wars, and he didn�t become �somebody� until he won. All the big names in the business made an appearance at the Wars every year.

"It�s where the boys show off their toys,� Lust commented. �And there they can settle the score between one another. Especially Mustang and the Alchemists."

"Roy and the Alchemists?" Ed asked, as if he didn�t already know. Of course he did, Kimblee had pointed a gun to his head and he knew all about the woman shared by Roy and Greed. But Ed was starting to wonder if there was something else to it as well. �Why are they fighting? Is it a king of the streets kind of thing?�

"It is a long story," Lust answered. "But to cut to the end of it, everyone wants to see Mustang go against that asshole Zolf Kimblee." Ed kept from flinching at Kimblee�s name. �They also want to see Roy race against Greed, and I know Greed is making his car ready for the big show.�

"Is Greed any good?" Ed asked.

"As much as I hate to admit it, yes."

Maybe the hint should have made him fearful, but it did the opposite for Ed. He had never felt more exited. He wasn�t in to racing just to win (sure, winning was great), but it was to race some one better than him and push him and his car to the limit. If he won because of skill or the car, he could be proud of what he had built and learned, and if he lost for either reason, he knew what he should do better. After all, in the end, he had always wanted a garage of his own when he retired from the race scene, and by then he wanted to be fully-learned and experienced.

But others had other plans for him it seemed. �The king of the streets battle is growing old, and we have a solution for it.� Lust said and Ed�s head jerked up.

�Huh?�

�Dante has a proposition for you,� Lust told him and made a dramatic pause before saying: �She is offering you the streets.�

�Huh?� His half-drunken mind couldn�t grasp the full meaning of that small piece of information.

�You would be one of us, in charge of the race-scene.� She explained slowly so he could follow. �It�s where the women, the guns and the drugs are exchanged, and it�s where we recruit people to work for the brotherhood.�

Ed frowned at her. �I thought it was Greed�s scene.�

�Greed only goes there for the entertainment. His cars are standing still in a garage gathering dust and rusting away. In fact, he supports the idea. You have impressed him greatly and gained an alley, Fullmetal.�

�And you?� Ed asked. �Where do we stand?�
They had just had a wonderful dinner, discussed some heavy topics and Ed had actually enjoyed her company. The smile on her full lips told him she had enjoyed herself greatly as well.

�Edward,� she started, placing her glowed hand on his own. �When I said your father meant great things for you, following in his footsteps was not one of them. He knew you would try to find him one day, and told me to be there when you did. That�s why I�m really here. Not because Dante sent me, but because I owe it to your father. I came here to tell you that you have a choice, Edward. And�.whatever you decide, I will help you.�

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�You ain�t�.nothing but a�.dog! Crying�all time�You ain�t nothing but�a hound dog�� Al stopped singing when he was hit in the face by a damp cloth.

�Al, you sound worse than the drunks in here.� Rose had returned with a tray filled with empty glasses and the last nuts. It was only a couple of hours before closing-time and there were only a few customers left. While Rose had been cleaning up the spilt drinks, broken glasses and cigarette-stumps, Jay had been keeping Al company.

�Hello Daisy,� Al beamed.

�Hello who?!� Rose asked angrily and Al blushed, covering his mouth.

Jay laughed. �Wrong flower champ.�

�I�m so sorry Ms. Rose,� Al blabbered. �I didn�t mean to say the wrong name�I mean you look like a cherry�I mean�oh, what was it again�oh yeah! You have nice melons!�

�What!?� She chocked.

Al had to think a moment before answering, wondering where it all had gone wrong. Before he could apologize, Rose stuffed her table-rag in his mouth to prevent him from saying any more dirty things. Jay bursted in to laughter and hit the bardesk with his hand and stomped his foot because it was all too hilarious. His laughter siezed however when Rose reached over the bardesk and grasped the collar of his shirt. Man, even Havoc had gotten away with sleezier comments!

�You told him to say something like that?� She asked him, already knowng the answer.

�Please calm down Ms. Rose!� Al begged after pulling the cloth out of his mouth. he could still taste the whisky she had dried up from a table. �He just wanted to help me out, because I really want you to lick me.�

�WHAT?!� Rose shrieked, slapping Al.

�Like! I meant to say: like!� Al shouted after she had litteraly slapped some sense in to him.

�Al, how much have you had to drink?� She asked concerned. Al looked puzzled.

�I�v only had soda and then a few glasses of milk,� he said raising his half empty glass.

Rose took the glass from his hand and sniffed at the contence. �You�ve been drinking White Russians, Al.�

Al looked absolutly shocked and pointed at Jay in an accusing manner. Whistling a tune, Jay saw it better to sneak away. Rose shook her head and drank up the rst of Al�s drink, sitting down next to him. �I already like you,� she muttered and both blushed slightly.

The record changed in the jukebox and a new song played. It was Toni Braxton singing �Unbreak My Heart�. Rose sighed heavily. �This is my sister�s favourit song.�

�You have a sister?�

Rose pointed at a framed piture in between bottles. Ther were two girls, obviously sisters. Rose was the shoter one and next to her a taller, more mature woman. �She was a racer. We started this place together, but she got in to some trouble and left.�

�I�m sorry to hear that,� Al said sinsearly. He moved his hand to comfort her, rubbing her a little to give suport.

�Al�your hand is on my butt.�

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The customers in the restaurant applauded when the band finished another song. The pianist cracked his fingers and the guitarr-player took a sip of water. They agreed on the next song and a known love-song without the words sounded in the candle-lid restaurant.

�Make your move at the Wars,� Lust instructed Ed. �You have about a week left to prepear everything.�

Ed nodded. He had sobered up with a cup of coffee and the night was reaching its end. Lust had been an unreplacable help and helped Ed ralize how foolish it had been of him to think he could have fought the Ourobors on his own.

All that was left for him was to make a choice between two dangerous roads. He had been thinking so hard his head hurt, or maybe it was the wine.

�No need to force yourself to make a decision tonight, Edward. But when you do, you be sure to tell me and I will do what I can to help you. But do not try to call me. When you have decided, I will know and I will set up another meeting.�

�As long as it isn�t dinner here. The wine is horrible,� he explained and he chuckled with good humor. �Lust�thank you, for everything.�

Lust noded and stood up. Following good manners, Ed stood up as well, eady to escort her to her limousine if she wanted to cll it a night and leave. Instead: �Why don�t e end the evening with a dance?�

�What?� Ed was getting nervous. �I don�t really�I�m no good at�� Truth was that Ed was a lousy dancer. But Lust would have non of that, and for the second time that night, she made way for the dancefloor but made it look like he was leading her.

Across the room, Noah was digesting the food and what Roy had told her about his new love (only Noah used that term for Ed and Roy). �Of all the blond racers in the world, you had to fall for Hohenheim�s son, Envy the weed-head�s brother�� she whisteled low and shook hear head.

�I haven�t fallen for anyone,� Roy corrected her again.

�You just keep telling yourself that.� She couldn�t undertsnad how Roy could be so deep in denail. She said something else afterwards but Roy couldn�t har her over the applouse. The band started playing again and Noah�s head jerked up. Roy recognized the song and saw the question � no, demand � in Noah�s eyes.

�Forget it. I�m not gonna dance with you.�

�But this is my song, Roy!� Noah pouted, already swaying in her seat in tune with �Unbreak My Heart�. Roy shook his head at her, but nevertheess stood up and offered her his arm. She practically dragged him to the dancefloor and they joined the sea of molten embraces and went wih the flow of the music.

Ed felt a litle too selfconsious as he danced, his hands on Lust�s waist. Standing there face to face he was awkwardly aware that she was taller than him. he had to keep her at arms length so his nose wouldn�t be nosing around in her cleavage.

She must have thought him to be polite, looking away from her full chest, but Ed was actually watching his feat, scared to death that he would step on her expensive boots.

He looked around, hoping to find something distracting�and he found it. The sight made him stand still and Lust accidently stepped on his foot, apologizing, but Ed hadn�t even noticed, for by now, Roy had seen him too.

********************************************************************************

As Ed stormed out of the restaurant he didn�t know what hurt more: The things Scar had told him the night beore or seeing roy with that woman. He only knew his heart could�t take any more, his chest as good as cut open, ribs broken and heart torn out and burnt to ashes.

He had to stop once he was ut the door, leaning against the brick wall of he building, fighting the nausea and tears. The sound of someone calling his name became louder and he couldn�t block it out anymore. Not wanting to deal with anything more right then, he tried to make a run for it, but Roy grasped his arm and spun him around, forcing Ed to face him and what he had seen.

��.I told you to wait goddamnit!� Roy growled. �Now, let me explain��

�You said something came up,� Ed snapped, finaly finding some courage to look Roy in the eye, Ed�s amber eyes blazzing. �Why not just tell me you were going out with a woman?!�

�It didn�t concern you!� Roy retorded just as angrily. Ed opened his mouth to say something, and Roy prepeared himself for any verbal blow that could hit him, but it never came. Instead, Ed just gritted his teeth and tore free from Roy�s grasp and started walking away.

�Wait, Ed!� Roy called after him, not going to let him get away like that. �She didn�t mean anything,� he said for the sake of saying something.

Roy almost stumbled in to Ed when the blond cam to a halt and spun around to glare at Roy with tears in he corner of his eyes, fists balled and shaking. �I�m not one of your girls who will believe anything!�

Roy walked towards Ed and the blond took a swing with his right fist, missing miserably. Roy caught Ed�s wrist and pushed Ed against the wall, pinnin the blond�s squirming form against the cold ar with hs body, his face barely n inch from Ed�s. �That is exactly why you are so special to me,� he said and quickly covered Ed�s lips with his own.
At first Ed was like the ll behind him, cold and unyielding even as Roy poured all he had in to the kiss, his lips dancing on Ed�s.

Finaly, Ed responded to th kiss, drinking the warmth and passion. Roy deepened the kiss, not caring if the whole world saw them, and wrapped his arms around Ed�s waist when the blond arched his back from the wall, pressing in to Roy even further. For that moment, everything was perfect.

But like every other moment, it had to end and evevrything felt suddenly bittersweet. Ed was reminded of who those lips had kissed, who those arms had held and what dirt Roy had on his hands. Like that night, Ed would never get anything else from Roy but lies and a broken heart. He knew that now.

Roy felt Ed practically go cold in his arms and leaned back to se what was wrong. The blond violently pushed Roy off him, and Roy was so shocked he took additional steps away from Ed and watched the blond wipe his mouth with the back of his hand and spit on the ground.

With determined steps Ed made his way back to the restaurant and was met by Lust who was dressed in her fur coat, a cigarette lit and with Gluttony looking pleased at her side.

�It isn�t very nice to leave a lady to pay for dinner,� Lust told him a-matter-of-factly, her stone facade up again.

�I�ll pay you back,� Ed muttered and glanced at the figure standing in the doorway to the restaurant, recognizing the woman Roy had danced with. She looked familiar somehow. Maybe she was one of the girls always hanging around Roy, one of his booty-calls most likely. �Something came up,� he said looking away from her and pulling out a cigarette and lighting it.

By then, Roy had caught up with him. Ed didn�t bother to turn and face him. He could imagine Roy�s expression. If the arrogant racer hadn�t paid mind to Ed�s date before, he probably did so now. Ed could see Lust�s face and she was looking at the racer standing behind him with an amused smile on her luscious lips.

�Good night, Colonel,� she greeted him and Ed heard Roy snort behind him. Roy called for the woman named Noah and walked passed Ed to leave, bumping in to Ed�s shoulder roughly as he did. Ed tried not to watch Roy�s back walk away with the woman, but he couldn�t help himself. Roy didn�t even look back.

�Do you need a drive home?� Lust asked, but Ed just shook his head. She leaned in and kissed him on the cheek, but he didn�t even feel it. He was too numb. He glanced at her chest, but not in a perverted way. He took in the sight of the red tattoo of the snake that eats its own tail.

He helped Lust get in to her limousine without saying a word and watched her drive off. He watched the tail-lights as far as he could before the limousine turned a left and he moved his eyes to the vast velvet sky above him. It was past midnight by then.

For some reason, one of Linkin Park�s songs came in to his mind, the one about that, in the end, no matter how hard you try, nothing you do will never matter.

The garage, the Ouroboros, the Race Wars, Al, Roy�did any of it really matter to him? Hadn�t he done his best already?

As Ed threw his cigarette-stump to the ground in to a puddle, he saw that a blue light was reflected in the water. As he looked up he saw that across the street there was a tattoo shop, the name written with big blue neon lights. The tattoo artist was outside on a smoke before closing.

Ed lighted another cigarette and played in his head the movie that was his life since he had moved to Central. When he came to the ending credits, with tars in the corner of his eyes, he had made up his mind. He wiped his tears and crossed the street, offering the tattoo artist and owner of the shop a cigarette and they had a chat about how annoying it is to forget your lighter when you really are in need of a smoke.

After five minutes both walked inside, the man put the closed-sign in the window but prepared his needles and ink. Ed wasn�t even grumpy when the man asked for some ID to confirm that Ed was of legal age.

Ed sat down in the chair and the man asked if he was sure, looking at the pattern Ed had drawn on a paper. Ed nodded, saying: �I made my choice.�

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Flame and Fullmetal 300 km/h